Masala Cauliflower

Cauliflower is kind of magical. It has this amazing ability to soak up flavor. When you cook it with Indian spices, it sops up all that masala goodness and when you take a bite, you taste it. These sweet little cauliflower florets are coated in a savory masala made with cumin, fennel, ginger, garlic, coriander and garam masala. Ripe tomatoes add a touch of sweetness to this relatively spicy dish.

I can’t get enough of this masala cauliflower (gobi). It’s so incredibly delicious. Whenever I make this dish, my husband will without fail tell me that he liked the cauliflower better than anything else on his plate. I never really know how to take his “compliment,” but I know he means well, so I always let it slide.

If you like aloo gobi (a popular Indian dish which translates to potato cauliflower), then you’re definitely going to love this masala gobi. You can add potatoes, sweet potatoes, whatever you want to this recipe, but I prefer making it with cauliflower alone.

a different way to enjoy cauliflower

There is one ingredient listed below that may be tricky to find: kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). You can find dried fenugreek leaves at any Indian grocery store or on amazon. Kasoori or Kasuri methi leaves are known to have a slightly bitter taste, but when you use them in small amounts it can help enhance the flavor of your dish. I think this ingredient really adds something special to the dish – makes it more “restaurant-like.”

For those who haven’t had Indian style cauliflower before, well, if you’re looking for an interesting way to eat cauliflower, you’ve found it friends.

Comments

My husband made this last night and served it over spiced ground meat, and it was fantastic! My appetite has been on the fritz lately, but this was delicious enough to have me wanting to eat it all. Thanks for sharing, and keep the tasty noms coming!

Hi there … I am making this tonight and I am using Ginger tonight . But , I was wondering if I could substitute Galangal for the Ginger ? Fortunately we have a wonderful spice shop in Olympia that carries dried Fenugreek Leaves ( Essential for my favorite, Butter Chicken. ) I also picked up some Amchur ( Mango Powder ) and I have no idea what to use it for . Can you give me any suggestions ??? Thank You for all the wonderful Curry dishes you have posted and for the 3 ingredient Naan Bread ! :0)

Hi Diane, I’m sorry for the late reply! I’m not sure about subbing galangal for ginger but if you tried this, please let me know how it turned out for you. I’m happy to hear that you use dried Fenugreek leaves when you make butter chicken – I agree, it is essential! As for amchur powder – it’s used as a souring agent in Indian cooking. You can add a pinch to any curry dish/recipe for a slightly acidic/tangy taste. I’ll work on a recipe using amchur for ya 🙂

A former co-worker of mine visited last weekend and we always try new recipes when she’s here. We made the empanadas (double batch), mini pies, achari chicken kebabs (OMG), butter chicken, masala cauliflower, and the artichoke hummus (two batches). BTW, dipping the achari chicken into the artichoke hummus (with hot smoked paprika on top) is DIVINE. THANKS SO MUCH for sharing your recipes!

Yet another post. haha. She texted me the day after she left because she was at an Indian grocery store buying all the needed ingredients. This one was out of the Kashmiri chili powder. Have to say I’m enjoying that immensely. It’s much less harsh than cayenne.

SOOOOOOO GOOOD! Made it last night and everything was on point! I substituted the kashmiri chili powder for 1/2 tsp of cayenne & 1/2 tsp of paprika. Also, the 1 tsp kasoori methi for the 1 tsp mustard seeds. Just the right amopunt of kick! Thank you for sharing!

10 stars – this was outstanding! I made this yesterday as a side dish for a birthday dinner (most of the dishes came from your website – Curried Tomato Soup, Navratan Korma, and your chai spiced chocolates were all on the menu). This was the star of the show! Such great flavors and so delicious. This is going to be in regular rotation on my weekend dinner party menus AND I am going to double or triple it. The only thing I did differently was add an onion and a 1/2 since I had another recipe that need only 1/2 an onion. The hardest part of this recipe s getting the onion golden brown, but that doesn’t require a lot of hands on time at all so overall an easy to make dish with TONS of great flavor. The second my guests had a bite they declared it their favorite thing on the menu! THANK YOU – I love your recipe and posts.

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[…] makes it great for cooking. I think of the rind more as a vegetable than as a fruit. The rind, like cauliflower, also tends to soak up flavor really well. You do have to be careful with the spices you use […]

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